Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 23
सर्वत्र सर्वे हि सुरासुरा भृशं नमंति मां विप्रवराः समुत्सुकाः । कथं ह्यसौ दुर्जनवन्महात्मा भूतादिभिः प्रेतपिशाचयुक्तः । श्मशानवासी निरपत्रपो ह्ययं कथं प्रणामं न करोति मेऽधुना
sarvatra sarve hi surāsurā bhṛśaṃ namaṃti māṃ vipravarāḥ samutsukāḥ | kathaṃ hyasau durjanavanmahātmā bhūtādibhiḥ pretapiśācayuktaḥ | śmaśānavāsī nirapatrapo hyayaṃ kathaṃ praṇāmaṃ na karoti me'dhunā
Wahai brahmana terbaik! Di mana-mana para dewa dan asura semuanya bersujud dalam-dalam kepadaku, berhasrat memuliakanku. Lalu bagaimana mungkin ‘mahatma’ ini—bertingkah laku seperti orang jahat—diiringi bhūta, preta, dan piśāca, penghuni tanah kremasi, tanpa malu—kini tidak juga bersujud kepadaku?
Dakṣa
Tirtha: Kedāra/Kedāranātha
Type: kshetra
Listener: Śaunaka and sages at Naimiṣāraṇya (contextual)
Scene: Dakṣa, enthroned amid sacrificial paraphernalia and assembled brāhmaṇas, complains that the ash-smeared Rudra—surrounded by gaṇas, bhūtas, and piśācas—does not bow; the contrast between polished yajña space and wild cremation-ground aura is central.
FAQs
Spiritual ruin begins with ego and contempt: Dakṣa’s insult of Śiva shows how pride distorts perception of the divine.
No tīrtha is praised directly; the verse describes Śiva’s cremation-ground symbolism within the Naimiṣāraṇya episode.
None; it centers on the expectation of formal salutation (praṇāma) and the offense taken when it is not offered.